semicolon
by skepticalnich
Summary: through all the pain and sadness, she could have given up; but she chose not to. she chose to prove them wrong.
1. Chapter 1

The train chugged along leisurely, the carriage swaying gently in its wake. Lucy placed her arm on the windowsill, resting her head on her palm. On her other held the job request sheet, her fingers absent-mindedly tracing its edge. Erza and Gray sat opposite, chatting about the new sword Erza bought recently.

The job that they were taking this time was supposedly easy; they had to get catch a bunch bandits that have been terrorizing a town about an hour from Magnolia. What was interesting was the money offered for the job: a whole 2 million jewels! Apparently, the town's mayor must have been desperate to get rid of the bandits. It was a pity Wendy and Carla couldn't join them this time; they were invited to go to another job with Cana a few days before.

A low groan snapped Lucy out of her daydream from staring at the scenery outside. Natsu, in his ever-glorious motion-sicknessed state, covered his mouth weakly and leaned forward. Lucy gave him a sympathetic look.

Who would have thought such a fiery and hyperactive person would be reduced to such a depressing state in the presence of such a passive mode of transport? When Lucy first met him, this fact shocked her. A year and a half later however, it has become more of an annoyance, but Lucy reminded herself that it cannot be helped anyway. She rubbed his back gently in an attempt to soothe him. The response she got however, was another moan.

Lucy sighed and rolled her eyes as Happy snoozed peacefully on her lap.

After about 2 hours of rumbling around constant unpleasant noises from a certain dragon slayer, they reached their destination. The train doors opened and Natsu flew out immediately.

"Holy shit! Solid ground at last!" he exclaimed, kneeling on all fours.

The rest of the crew stepped out slowly, taking a look at the station. They have reached the southern town of Clover. Fishing out their tickets from their pockets, they tapped out of the turnstile gates and looked around curiously. First, they have to go to the Mayor's office downtown to be briefed of their mission.

"Hey guys, look! There is a sign pointing to the bus terminal! We need to take the bus downtown right?" Gray pointed out, gesturing to the sign.

"That's quite a good eye you have there, Gray. Let's go there immediately!" Erza complimented, tugging at the handle of her enormous baggage cart.

As the group was about to move off, Natsu was rooted to the ground. Happy snickered.

"There's _no way_ I'm going to take the bus! You guys go ahead, I'm going to walk there instead…"

Erza turned around and glared at the pink haired mage.

"Nope, suck it up or I have no choice but to knock you out," she said in a dangerously low voice.

Natsu squeaked. "Y-yes Ma'am!"

Lucy and Happy sweatdropped and laughed nervously, while Gray just shook his head and sighed. They proceeded to the bus terminal that was adjacent to the train station. From there, they took a short bus ride towards the mayor's office.

* * *

The guards opened the doors to the Mayor's office. The two humongous wooden doors creaked open, and the 5 mages stepped in. The Mayor sat at his desk, sorting paperwork. Upon noticing the mage's presence, he looked up.

"Welcome, Fairy Tail mages. Please, take a seat. I'm very relieved that someone has decided to take on this job… The bandits are simply too much for our town's small army to handle. I hope that the whole lot of you can help me and save this town from the vicious bandits." The Mayor breathed out, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Sir, can you tell us more about the bandits?" Erza asked politely.

The Mayor rested his hands on his desk. "We are not very sure, but their base seems to be hidden in the Northern mountains a few miles from here. Little is known of what kind of magic they use, but from eyewitness accounts, it is pretty powerful. They have been creating great losses to our town…" The Mayor trailed off sadly, looking out of the window.

Natsu fidgeted in his seat. "Don't worry, Mr Mayor! We are Fairy Tail mages! There is nothing we cannot handle!"

"Yes, we will help you eradicate those bandits." Erza reassured.

The Mayor gave a small smile. "Well, the 2 million jewels are waiting for you all. I wish all of you the best of luck."

* * *

The 5 mages trudged along the muddy mountain paths. Well, except for Happy, who flew calmly in front. The afternoon sun beat down on them harshly; the foliage of the mountains providing little respite.

"I can smell a group of scents faintly… they must be nearby!" Natsu exclaimed, sniffing the air thoroughly.

"Thank God! I was thinking we would be walking here forever." Lucy complained, wiping the sweat from her forehead. She took out her water bottle from her backpack and took a sip.

All of a sudden, Gray tensed up. "Guys-,"

Before he could finish his sentence, a magic bullet was shot right at their feet, dead leaves and soil flying into the air, stopping the mages in their tracks. Natsu stepped back and raised his arms protectively in front of the group, looking around swiftly to find the source of the bullet. A voice sounded out from a distance ahead and on top of them.

"Well, well. Look who stepped into our territory."

* * *

 **Whew! Hope you guys liked the first chapter. This is my first time writing, and I'm kinda afraid that some of the characters would be OOC. :") Do feel free to review and criticize my writing!**

 **I'm planning to make this story into one of those Lucy-leaves-the guild-to-get-stronger cliché fics. YES IM LIKE 5 YEARS LATE INTO JUMPING INTO THIS BANDWAGON. But you see, almost all the fics that I have read about this trope are outdated or are incomplete and they leFT ME UNSATISFIED so I just had to write my own version, and also because I'm in desperate need of angst in general :") Trust me, this will be different compared to all those others out there. Bear with me and be patient! I will try my best to make this an unforgettable adventure (and to console myself of the fact that Fairy Tail ended) ok I should stop rambling now bye ! I will try my best to update regularly.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey friends :) Just to clarify, this fic is taking place shortly after the GMG arc. Anyways, I managed to update! Hope yall enjoy the new chapter! Intense battle is going on ;D Please do review the fic and tell me how my writing is so I can improve!**

* * *

"Well, well. Look who stepped into our territory." A voice chuckled from above and ahead of them.

"Who are you?!" Erza commanded, stepping forward. A sword requipped onto her right hand, stance ready.

"I am Kuro, from the treasure hunter guild Heaven's Hand. But who am I doesn't matter; what matters is that none of you will be leaving here alive," he smirked, crouching on a tree branch a few metres ahead, sniper aimed at the group.

"Not when I can help it!" Gray positioned his hands, getting ready. "Ice-Make: Lance!" Streaks of ice shot and curved towards the sniper, ready to impale the enemy.

Kuro simply rolled his eyes, unfazed. With a pull of the trigger, magic bullets intercepted the ice lances, effectively shattering them in their path.

The group stared wide-eyed as ice shards rained down around them.

"Why, you-!" Natsu took a deep breath. "Fire Dragon's Roar!" The tornado of flames erupted from Natsu's mouth, making its way to the target. The canopy of trees above were incinerated instantly.

However, the black haired sniper simply somersaulted upwards, avoiding the flames with ease. While spinning through the air, the rifle that he was holding requipped into two handguns. As he faced the group again, magic bullets were released from the handguns, literally spraying towards the group of mages.

The group of 5 ducked and rolled away in various directions, narrowly evading from the bullets as they punctured tree trunks and disturbed the forest floor around them.

Lucy crouched on the ground, reaching for her keypouch. "We will fight fire with fire then!" She exclaimed, pulling out a golden key. "Open, the gate of the Archer: Sagittarius!" Her key gleamed in golden light, and soon Sagittarius appeared in front of her with a chime.

"Moshi-moshi, Miss Lucy! I will handle this guy, yes!" Sagittarius reached behind to pull a magic arrow from his quiver. Nocking the arrow on his bow, he stepped out into the open and aimed for Kuro. With practiced grace, the celestial spirit released the arrow. In mid-air, the arrow magically split into many arrows, sailing towards the sniper.

Kuro simply pulled the trigger once again on his two handguns, a pair of magic bullets shooting out. Quite imitating Sagittarius' arrows, the magic bullets multiplied mid-air and showered the area in front of him. Not only was there some that were used to destroy the arrows, there were others left that attacked the group of mages.

Lucy and the others ducked behind the trees they were hiding. Unable to face the enemy, they were helpless.

Amidst the shower of bullets, Sagittarius could not hide in time and was shot in the chest. Lucy gasped as the celestial spirit was bathed in golden light, vanishing slowly.

"Sorry, Miss Lucy-!" was all the spirit could say before fading into thin air, golden sparkles the only evidence left proving that he was there previously.

"Damn it! What do we do now?!" Natsu cursed, crouching low to the ground. The magic bullets continued to rain down on them, a cacophony of jarring noises.

Lucy reached for her keypouch again. _Maybe I can use Virgo to dig us out…_ she mused. Before she could do anything, the shower of magic bullets stopped. A strange silence filled the air.

Erza whipped around, taking this chance to retaliate. However, she was suddenly paralysed in fear. Resting on Kuro's right shoulder is now a huge rocket launcher, currently charging up for an attack.

"Guys! Run away-!" were the only words that left her mouth, before the missile was launched and landed right in front of them.

A blinding flash of brilliant white light and flames, the resulting explosion sounded out, violently devastating the area.

* * *

When Lucy came to, she felt someone pinning her to the ground. She opened her eyes tentatively. A flash of pink hair and an unconscious Natsu came into view. Her heart sank into the ground. He protected her from the explosion?!

Carefully rolling him off her, she sat up and took in her surroundings. Gray lay a few metres away from them, unconscious and face streaked with blood. In front of her were a carnage of felled trees, vegetation and debris from the explosion. She stood up weakly, a throbbing pain spreading from her back.

"Natsu, Gray! Wake up!" She called out desperately. There was no response from either of them. She covered her mouth in fear. Looking around, she could not catch sight of Erza or Happy. They must have been thrown off in another direction by the explosion.

Lucy kneeled back down on the ground, checking for Natsu and Gray's breathing. They seem to be still alive. She heaved a sigh of relief, but what is she going to do now?

The blonde mage stood up again, attempting to smooth her tattered shirt. She walked a few metres away, trying to get hold of their location. All she saw however, is more trees and mountains in the distance. A flock of birds flew overhead, and the wispy clouds sailed slowly above. Her mind considered their options. She can summon Pyxis and ask for directions, but then she would need to summon one or two more spirits to help her carry Natsu and Gray…

Her thought process was interrupted by a girl's voice towards her right.

She jumped in shock and turned around. A petite green-haired girl stood on a boulder in front of her, eyeing Lucy's hand. Her eyes sparkled.

"So you guys come from Fairy Tail? How surprising! I never knew such a well-known wizard guild would show up here one day…" The green-haired girl drawled on excitedly, giggling. "I am surprised to see that you survived the blast! Normally no one can escape Kuro's missile unscathed…"

Lucy clenched her teeth. A Heaven Hand's insignia was branded on the girl's right arm.

"We are here to drive your guild away from Clover." Lucy stated.

The green haired girl laughed. "Are you serious? I'm only 13 years old, yet you are more naïve then me! Hahaha!" She stepped down from her boulder, expression turning serious. "Me and Kuro won't let anyone get in the way of our guild."

Lucy grabbed her keypouch tightly, ready for battle.


	3. Chapter 3

"Why do you and your guild want to cause so much trouble for the townspeople?" Lucy questioned cautiously.

The green haired girl raised her eyebrow. "Why not? This is an old town; many of the folks here own a valuable thing or two. Many of their houses have lots of antique furniture and artifacts! Imagine the amount of money we can get from those…." She drooled.

Lucy's eye twitched in annoyance. She looked around once again, hoping that Erza or Happy would appear. All she saw however, was just more trees and debris.

"Where do you think you are looking? I'm right here, blondie!" A roundhouse kick was sent to Lucy's stomach, causing her to sprawl over to the side.

An excruciating pain pulsed from her already-injured back. She let out a shout of pain and surprise, but wasted no time to pull out another key.

"Open, the gate of the Scorpion: Scorpio!" another chime was heard, and the celestial spirit appeared with a golden flash.

As if on cue, the celestial spirit immediately crouched into position. "Sand Buster!"

A swirling vortex of sand spiraled from Scorpio's tail, and winded towards the opponent.

The green haired girl simply raised her arms upwards. "Nature's shield!"

A wall of trees and vines sprouted from the ground, blocking Scorpio's attack. The sand sprayed in all directions.

Lucy gasped in shock. _She uses plant magic?_

Scorpio looked back at his owner. "We are! Lucy, what are we going to do next?"

Lucy opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off when the vines on the wall started to grow again and flew towards them at a blinding speed.

Scorpio grabbed Lucy and jumped away at the nick of time, as the plants converged and crashed into the ground right where they were standing. Before Lucy could recover, the vines sprouted yet again and reached for Scorpio, binding him up.

Lucy squeaked in surprise. Another group of vines slithered their way towards her legs, but she dodged them and sidestepped away.

With Scorpio's key in her hand, she slashed it front of her. "Thank you Scorpio! You go back first!"

The celestial spirit, struggling from the vines, shimmered in golden light and faded away.

Lucy placed Scorpio's key back in her keypouch and pulled out Taurus's key.

"Open, the gate of the Golden Bull: Taurus!" Another chime was heard and Taurus' humongous form appeared in front of the vines.

"I won't let anyone hurt Lucy-chan's a-moo-zing body!" the celestial spirit exclaimed, punching the vines that were reaching for Lucy again. The said person sweatdropped at that statement.

Taurus advanced, swinging his axe forward. With a clean execution, the wall of plants were sliced away. Remnants of vegetation crashed down onto the forest floor.

Before Taurus could reach the green haired girl, she snapped her fingers. This time, a row of sunflowers burst out from the ground, stopping the celestial spirit in his tracks. The sunflower petals turned into deadly yellow blades and shot out towards Taurus and Lucy.

Before Lucy could react, Taurus reached out and lunged for her. Grabbing her shoulders, they fell down onto the ground, evading the course of the blades. Lucy gritted her teeth. At this rate, she will never reach the green haired girl!

Through the chaos of the hordes of flying blades, she reached for her keypouch again. Feeling for Virgo's key, she pulled it out and held it out.

"Open, the gate of the Maiden: Virgo!" With a chime, Virgo appeared with a clinging sound of her chains. She crouched down next to Lucy.

"Princess, what do you need me to do for you?" Virgo asked monotonely, expressionless as always.

Lucy pointed to Natsu and Gray. "I need you to bring Natsu and Gray to safety! And if you still have the time, come back and help us!"

"You got it, princess." Virgo drilled into the ground.

Still lying on the ground, Lucy and Taurus inched towards the green haired girl slowly. A few stray blades sliced across Lucy's skin, causing her to wince in pain.

The girl noticed them, her eye glinting dangerously. However, she did not seem to notice Virgo pulling Natsu and Gray with her into the ground.

"Before you can reach me, you would be dead. Don't even try," The green haired girl snapped her fingers once again. "Fruit bombs!"

This time, another row of bushes sprouted behind the sunflowers. A second later, different fruits of various colours and sizes appeared on the bush and shot out towards them. Upon impact, the fruits exploded, expelling acid and fire.

Taurus swung his axe's blade downward to block the bombardment. However, acid continued to splatter towards them, damaging Lucy's clothes and burning her.

"Lucy! I don't think I can hold on much longer-!" Taurus informed his owner, gritting his teeth. His axe slowly corroded away from the acid and the flames.

Lucy turned back towards where Virgo and her friends were, desperately hoping that the celestial spirit is done dragging them to a safe place.

A rustling sound was heard from that exact same location, and the green haired girl immediately turned her attention to that direction. Lucy mentally cursed as Virgo's pink hair became visible among the grass and shrubs in the undergrowth.

"So you think your two friends can escape? Think again, blondie." The green haired girl smirked. Motioning her arms, more fruit trees sprouted out, facing the undergrowth. The same deadly fruits appeared, ready to strike.

"NO!" Lucy's pupils dilated in fear as the fruits catapulted into the air.

All that can be heard after that was Virgo's scream of agony.

* * *

A sharp pain on Erza's left abdomen stirred her awake. Opening her eyes tentatively, she felt the source of pain cautiously. Apparently, shrapnel from the missile has buried themselves in her waist area. Pulling the fragments out slowly, she heaved a sigh of relief when it wasn't too deep. However, blood started to trickle into her hands.

Ripping out a part of her sleeve, she pressed the piece of clothing onto her side to stop the bleeding. She stood up with a stumble, looking around. She expected to find Kuro nearby, but the black haired sniper was nowhere to be seen. Looking out for Lucy or any of her friends, she started walking aimlessly.

The sunlight was turning warmer, indicating that it was already afternoon. Erza trudged along the forest path, calling out her friends' names.

"Gray! Natsu! Lucy! Happy! Are any of you around here?!"

The only sounds of reply was the chirping of birds and her own footsteps.

She clenched her fists in frustration. What is she going to do? She needs to find help immediately, but what can she do in the middle of a forest? She should have listened to Cana's advice and brought along a call card…

Her thoughts were interrupted when a certain blue flying cat crashed onto her from behind.

"Erza! I'm so glad to have found you!" Happy declared, sobbing animatedly.

She turned around, holding the cat in her arms. "I'm happy to see you too, Happy. Did you see any of them just now?"

Happy shook his head. "No, I think we all got separated after the missile blast."

Erza pursed her lips. "Well, let's go and find them together!"

* * *

 **Hello friends,, hope yall liked the new chapter! Whats going to happen to Lucy? hmMmMMm we will never know ;)**

 **Thank you to that one person who reviewed this story, really appreciate the kind words!**

 **Stay tuned :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks to Svane Vulfbad? for giving me an _extremely_ detailed review haha. I really appreciate it, and have taken your views seriously. Don't worry, i hate those kind of cliche fics as much as you do ;D this is the exact reason why I had to write this! tosoothemyfrustrationfromallthosecringeficsCOUGH**

 **for the setting of this story, i admit that i might have overlooked a few things about their power level and abilities in terms of the storyline. i originally intended for this fic to take place after the GMG arc, but now that i see it, i dont think they will be so easily defeated by that kuro dude after unlocking their second origin and all that training HAHAHha welp whats done is already done, hope yall dont mind this flaw :)**

 **also, im not intending to make lucy into some kind of GodTM after her getaway training,,, im a realistic person ;D and lisanna isnt going to be the devil, neither is team natsu going to be absolute asshats either. please be patient with me yall, im trying my very best to write this !**

 **please dont hesitate to drop a review! it really means alot.**

 **hope yall like the 4th chap!**

* * *

Virgo's scream filled the air as the fruit bombs landed on her back and exploded. She collapsed on the ground, writhing in absolute agony as golden light began to envelop her.

"P-princess, I'm sorry..." was all she could mouth out as she vanished into thin air, arms still outreached towards Natsu and Gray.

The green haired girl snickered. "Two down, four more to go? This will be easy."

Lucy was in utter shock. _I have to save them!_ She lunged forward, wanting to go to her still unconscious and injured friends. However, she was stopped by Taurus as he pulled her back into safety again.

"Lucy, don't! Or you would end up like Virgo!" Taurus held his ground, axe still blocking most of the attacks made by the fruit bombs.

Lucy desperately ran through her options once again. She started to feel dizzy from all the extensive magic use, and couldn't think straight. Her palms were cold and sweaty as her heartbeat pulsed painfully in her chest. What in the world is she going to do? From her fuzzy state, she noticed that the shrubs have stopped shooting out the deadly fruits.

"Meh, this fight is kind of boring. I shall just end this now!" The green haired girl stated, checking her fingernails. She motioned with her arms once again, and countless vines from all over sprouted out, aiming for Lucy and her celestial spirit. "I shall deal with you first, then I will see what I'm going to do with your two other friends..." she smirked, looking over to the undergrowth.

Taurus lifted his axe and cut away at the vines, but there was just too many for him to keep up. More and more vines reached towards them, and soon some of the vines grabbed Taurus' legs and arms, immobilising him and lifting the spirit up into the air. A horrifyingly disgusting and gigantic Venus flytrap sprouted out nearby, and the vines moved the celestial spirit towards its open mouth.

"Taurus!" Lucy called out in surprise. Her fingers reached for her keypouch, deciding her next move. _I can't use Aquarius or Leo, I don't think I have enough magic power for them... wait! I have an idea!_

She pulled out Aries' key. _I can ask Aries to surprise attack the girl with her wool! This would make her lose control of those vines, and, her wool can be useful as a shield for whatever she might pull off next..._

Lucy pointed the key forward. "Open, the gate of the Ram: Arie-"

A familiar tugging sensation pulled at her stomach, interrupting her summoning sequence. She lowered her key slowly as the golden light faded away from the tip of the key, and she promptly fell onto her knees.

"N-no way, I'm out of magic power at this time?" She muttered, eyes glassy with shock. She shook her head in disbelief, covering her face with her hands. Taurus' eyes widened as he faded away in golden light, the magic power maintaining his connection to this world gone suddenly.

"Oh? Given up so quickly huh, blondie?" The green haired girl taunted. Snapping her fingers, the vines ensnared Lucy, bringing her into the air and hanging her on top of the Venus flytrap.

Lucy struggled weakly, legs trashing about. However, the grip of the vines were just too strong, and Lucy let out a muffled scream as the vines covered her mouth tightly, and then wound around her neck, choking her. She gasped for breath, but no air could enter her lungs.

 _This is it, I'm going to die right here,_ she thought, as dark spots appeared in her vision, and she slowly sank into unconsciousness.

* * *

Ezra limped through the forest path, following a small creek. Happy flew ahead, looking out for any hints of the rest of the group. She glanced at the sky for a brief moment. Judging by the position of the sun, she probably only had about 2-3 hours left before it starts getting dark.

She mentally gave herself another hour to look for her friends personally before she has to make her way back to Clover and find help. But even so, how is she going to get out of this damn forest in the first place? She sighed in frustration.

Her mouth was as dry as sandpaper; and she eyed the creek in temptation. Water has never had such an appeal to her until now. She mentally slapped herself. _No, Erza! You never know what the water might contain…_ She decided to steel herself away from the flowing creek and keep a watchful eye on the exceed in front of her instead.

The duo continued to trek through the forest aimlessly. They have walked for about 20 minutes, until suddenly a scream was heard, and Happy caught sight of vines swaying about in the air through the treetops.

"Erza, look! It seems like a battle is going on!" Happy exclaimed, voice hushed.

Erza's eyes widened. Her friends must be there! Together, the mage and the exceed rushed over to the scene.

* * *

Pushing away the layers of thick leaves and branches, Erza emerged into the clearing, Happy following closely behind. The scene that greeted her wasn't exactly a pretty one.

A limp and tightly bound up Lucy was hanging on top of the monstrous looking venus flytrap, and there was another green haired girl standing close by. Erza squinted, and saw the Heaven's Hand's insignia branded on the girl's arm. _She must be one of them!_

The red haired mage stepped forward, ready to engage in battle. Just when she was about to requip into something, a loud _crack_ sounded out from her feet. She looked down, and saw a damned twig under one of her boots broken into half.

She muttered a string of colourful words under her breath.

The green haired girl whipped around, sensing the additional presence. "Who's there?!" she swung her arm outwards forcefully, daggers hidden from underneath her sleeves flying out towards Erza and Happy.

A sword requipped into Erza's hands before she knew it, and she raised the sword to intercept a dagger that was sailing right towards her face. With a loud _CLANG!_ and a small shower of sparks, the dagger hit her sword and fell onto the ground. The rest of the daggers flew through the vegetation around them, burying themselves into tree trunks or slicing off rows of leaves.

"Who are _you_ , and what are you doing to Lucy?!" Erza demanded, her usual white blouse and blue skirt changing into her typical full armour.

The green haired girl raised her eyebrow. "Oh? So this blondie is _Lucy_ huh. Well, she put up a useless fight against me though. Look at me, I'm completely untouched by her!" She laughed, insultingly brushing her shoulders off.

"Why, you-!" Erza gritted her teeth, advancing towards her. Happy promptly flew away, going to Lucy.

The plant magic mage narrowed her eyes. "Fruit bombs," she muttered, and the same dreaded shrubs sprouted out again. The fruits shot out in droves, determined to destroy the opponent.

Erza stopped in her tracks. "Adamantine Armour!" she shouted, and she requipped into the bulky, blue-white coloured defence armour. Bringing her arms together, the huge shields attached to her arms closed up. The fruits hit the shield and her armour, exploding in balls of flame and acid.

The attack lasted for about 10 seconds, until the bombardment stopped. The green haired girl smirked. _Does that redhead really think that she can withstand that?_

As the smoke and dust slowly cleared, she could barely make out a figure approaching her. A gust of wind blew through the clearing, and she saw the Adamantine Armour on Erza completely undamaged, gleaming, even, in the afternoon sunlight. She could barely let out a gasp when Erza requipped once again, golden light enveloping her body.

"Heaven's Wheel Armour: Circle Sword!" the bulky defence armour now replaced with an absolutely stunning armour composing of winged blades and a metal plated billowing skirt. An arsenal of swords appeared behind her, poised and ready.

"Dance, my blades," Erza said calmly, glaring at her opponent straight in the eye.

The swords circled the red haired mage, before shooting out towards the green haired girl.

The green haired girl raised her arms hastily, a thin wall of vines sprouting out. However, it was no match for the vast number of swords, and they sliced and obliterated the wall into bits before she could further react.

"N-no way!" was all she could say before the swords overwhelmed her, and she let out a painful scream.

The vines holding Lucy loosened, and she fell, heading straight into the now-dead venus flytrap. Happy swooped in from the side, picking her up just on time. He flew towards a safe area of the clearing, and gently put her down.

"Lucy, wake up!" he said desperately, grabbing her hands. She was still barely breathing, but definitely out cold.

Erza requipped out of her Heaven's Wheel Armour into her casual clothes once again, and ran towards Happy and Lucy. She crouched down beside Lucy, feeling for her breathing.

"Lucy, Lucy! Can you hear me?" she said, softly but persuadingly. Lucy groaned and opened her eyes slowly.

"Erza? Happy?" she rasped, voice raw from the chokehold previously. "What's going on?"

"I helped defeat the Heaven's Hand mage you were battling earlier. Are you feeling alright?" Erza asked with concern. Happy looked on with wide eyes.

"I-I have seen better days." The blonde whispered, eyes widening suddenly as if remembering something. "Wait, Erza! Natsu and Gray, they-they are here too! You must help them first…" she tried to sit up with great difficulty.

Erza sucked in her breath sharply. "What?!"

A shivering finger pointed towards the undergrowth.


End file.
